Editorials

We generally loathe the idea of government at any level sticking its bureaucratic nose into people’s lives, but will gladly support any effort from county government to take action against the owners of abandoned, dilapidated homes.
A perfect example is the home on Hammond Road that is the subject of an article on page A1. It has been abandoned for years, has bags of trash falling out of its broken front windows, has floors and ceilings that are caving in, and is an eyesore of the first order.

The Anderson County Board of Education cannot hope to obtain and retain the best and brightest teachers by continuing to employ even one teacher too many.
News last week that the district employs, by its own staffing formula, 13 teachers it doesn’t need is a slap in the face to every needed teacher in the district.
They are the ones who had to grovel earlier this year to avoid having the number of days they work reduced, which would amount to a pay cut.
They are the ones who have lived through pay freezes.

Judge-Executive John Wayne Conway exited the county courthouse Friday morning as an everyman’s hero, fresh off getting restored (for the time being, at least) several polling locations in rural Anderson County.
Flanked by a couple dozen folks from his own 6th District neck of the woods, Conway spoke from the crowd at the end of the board of elections meeting.

Those offended by campaign signs should simply move to a country where voting isn’t allowed.
That’s a much better solution than the one being considered by the fiscal court, which would mandate the length of time campaign signs can be placed on private property.
Instigated by a handful of indignant people aghast at the number of signs and how long they were present during the previous election cycle, the fiscal court has already passed on first reading an ordinance that would allow signs only 45 days before and seven days after an election.

Only those afraid of what they might find will stand opposed to the creation of a committee to research the viability of merging city and county government.
We support such a study, and will be mightily disappointed should the city council and fiscal court stand in the way. (Details, A1).
No one — not the group of people assembled by attorney Walter Patrick or our elected officials — has clue one if such an idea makes practical, common sense.
Nor does anyone know if the idea would actually save taxpayers one thin dime.

Tourism honks and others charged with bringing money into a community all seem to agree that when a dollar is spent locally, it will change hands seven additional times.
Maybe. We haven’t done nor can we site specific research that will prove that theory, but it seems widely accepted among those who have, and who are we to argue?
Heck, even Jason Denny, the county clerk whose term as president of the chamber of commerce just ended, referenced that theory during Saturday’s chamber gala at Eagle Lake while encouraging people to shop locally.

We’ve been making a big deal lately about our new website — or at least we’ve been trying to.
Most of the feedback we’ve received has been positive, and we’ll be the first to say it’s a lot better than where we were before.
However, one thing we haven’t been making nearly enough fuss over is how much this website isn’t so much ours as it is yours.
Yes, we provide the content, but what makes for a successful website is the interaction that takes place on it.

It’s hard to believe that in a matter of weeks, Larry Smith will no longer represent the county’s 5th Distrct on the fiscal court.
That’s a shame.
What’s even more of a shame is that the vast, vast majority of people who live here never bothered to attend a meeting to see him in action.
Smith decided against seeking re-election this fall, which is likely the only way he would ever not have filled his seat on the court.

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell joined House Republicans on Monday in joining the chorus that favors banning all earmarks.
He called the measure mostly symbolic, but one designed to ensure voters that he and others in D.C. heard them loud and clear Nov. 2.
He’s right to assert that banning earmarks won’t put a dent in the federal budget deficit, which now runs into umpteen trillions.